Beni
A masculine Turkish name meaning "my son" or "my progeny".
Name Census estimates that about 210 living Americans carry the first name Beni. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 67.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Beni today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Beni births was 2022 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Beni. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
210
~ 1 in 1,632,164 Americans
Peak year
2022
24 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,800
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Beni
Beni is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 217 total registrations, 147 (67.7%) were male and 70 (32.3%) were female.
Beni as a male name
- Ranked #7,800 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (14 births)
Beni as a female name
- Ranked #12,330 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (10 births)
Popularity
Beni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Beni from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 97 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Beni by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Beni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Beni
The name Beni has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "ben," which means "son" or "child." The name Beni is a variation of this root word, often used as a diminutive or affectionate form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Beni can be found in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis. Here, Beni is mentioned as one of the sons of Gad, a son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This biblical reference dates back to around the 13th century BCE.
Throughout history, the name Beni has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Beni Meshullam, a Jewish scholar and commentator who lived in the 12th century CE. He was known for his work on the Talmud and other Jewish texts.
Another prominent figure with the name Beni was Beni Tehillim, a 16th-century Jewish mystic and kabbalist from Safed, Palestine. He is celebrated for his contributions to the study of the Kabbalah and his writings on Jewish mysticism.
In the realm of literature, Beni Barra was an Italian poet and playwright who lived during the 16th century. He is best known for his works in the Neapolitan dialect, which helped preserve and promote the local language and culture.
Moving into the modern era, Beni Arbaç was a Turkish diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from 1965 to 1969. He played a significant role in shaping Turkey's foreign policy during a critical period in the country's history.
It is worth noting that the name Beni has also been used in various cultural contexts beyond its Hebrew origins. For instance, in the Quechua language spoken in parts of South America, "beni" means "good" or "beautiful." This usage suggests that the name may have been adopted and adapted by different cultures over time.
People
Beni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Beni as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Beni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Beni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 210 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Beni going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,632,164 US residents.
Is Beni a common name?
We classify Beni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Beni most popular?
The single biggest year for Beni was 2022, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Beni is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Beni a male name?
Yes, 67.7% of people registered as Beni in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.